


The Sign of Wrestlemania

by LCNH1



Series: WWE Thrallverse [11]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24412891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LCNH1/pseuds/LCNH1
Summary: How in the Thrallverse can Wrestlemania happen with a pandemic going on?A secondary dilemma that the old-timers can resolve.
Series: WWE Thrallverse [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1251434
Kudos: 3





	The Sign of Wrestlemania

Triple H had another full day of phone calls, virtual meetings, texts, emails, more phone calls. His office at the Performance Center sat close to the gym, but the gym may as well be in another state.

The whole company had turned upside down with the bad news. Wrestlemania could not be held at Raymond James Stadium. The crowds couldn’t come to Mania. Crowds couldn’t come to the TV tapings. Shows would be to empty arenas with the only witnesses being the commentators and the cameras. 

Even at the independent level, wrestlers still performed if there were 10 people in the crowd. Some get it enough that it didn’t matter if there were 10 people or 100,000 people, they brought the same intensity to get that same engagement.

The same Thrall. If no one showed up to a wrestling match and the show went on anyway, could you still get that energy? Hunter wasn’t much of an indies guy himself, so he guessed no. 

He Knew that some wrestlers would be more impacted than others. He knew that Others would find a way through it, but some didn’t have that luxury, technically including himself. 

Shawn hadn’t been much help, shrugging off the difficulties and logistics of it all. “It’s not Wrestlemania,” Shawn would say and walk off. Hunter figured either Shawn was upset that this is almost as bad as cancelling the event or that Shawn really didn’t know what to do. 

This was new. To a lot of people. 

Calling Vince would be almost as useless. One of the day’s phone calls was listening to Vince rant and lament for 20 minutes about still having the right to assemble and that no one would get sick over it. That this “pandemic” was “just the flu” and it would blow over in time for the event. The news broke only a few weeks out, so they still had to answer to that 80,000 fans who paid a lot of money to come to the event. He’d work on that later.

A sharp knock at his office door brought him back to now, as he looked at the papers, the computer screen, his phone screen. All of it still had a great deal of unaddressed matters. Now there might be a new issue waiting for him. 

“Come in!”

Hunter turned his phone over and minimized everything on his screen. He’d looked at it enough for the day. Maybe for the next six months.

He hesitated as the door quietly closed as a presence washed over him. An old presence, a familiar one. One that had washed over two dozen Wrestlemanias with more success than he’d ever had at the Show of Shows. One that he’d faced in a few different configurations at five Manias of his own, all in losing efforts. Then again, only two men could say that they had felled the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, and here the Son of Cerberus stood, awaiting the COO’s attentions.

Hunter may be King of Kings, but not even he disrespects the Undertaker.

He hastily stood to shake hands, and both gave a quiet nod before settling into their seats. Taker seemed reflective as he scanned the chaos on Hunter’s desk. “I don’t envy you at all right now,” the Deadman began. “I could never sit still through all that.”

“It’s not easy,” Hunter said with a huff of frustration. “The logistics and arrangements and plans and getting the information around - I’m almost glad I’m not working it, I wouldn’t have time to go work out. How Vince has done this for four decades…”

“Guessin you’ve got some logistics not on paper to deal with yet.”

Hunter nodded. 

“Even with all these changes,” Taker continued. “It’s still Wrestlemania. How can I help?”

Triple H made sure the door remained closed before lowering his voice a little. “It’s still Wrestlemania, I agree, but not many of the guys are going to be ‘ready’ without all that other energy at play. I know that magic can be converted to thrall but I also have to be careful where and HOW I do that. Wrestlemania’s not just an event, it’s a tradition, and when you Opened my Eyes I saw how much more it is for the likes of you and your ‘kind’.”

Taker leaned back a little in his seat to think, one hand over his mouth and eyes distant. Hunter watched this old timer, a man whose heritage wove great stories and at points had endangered the company and perhaps the living world about what his presence could bring. 

Hunter also thought about all those who rely on Thrall to help their performances. Performers like Elias, Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Roman, Seth, Drew McIntyre. They would need those energies. Other guys like AJ, Corbin, Becky, Natalya, Alexa, Shayna - they would respect and understand what this even meant in the grand scheme of the wrestling world.

“This is a tall order, but I’m gonna have to call in a favor from you. And any Others that work for us.”

Taker nodded. “You’ve helped me, Vince has helped me. What do you need?”

“We both know how important Wrestlemania is to ALL wrestlers. Kids dream about being in the main event. Workers want to be on the card any way they can when they get here. This is the pinnacle of any wrestler’s career. I think I know how we can take advantage of this, but I might need you to do some of the talking for me.\

“We have the big pirate logo that we usually hang in arenas here at the Performance Center. We had the tradition start recently where people would point at the sign symbolically. People joke about it now, but it’s still important to the performers.”

Taker sat forward again. “It was always out of reach of anyone. Nobody could jump that high, nobody was allowed in the rafters. It’s too big to hang that high anywhere in this building.”

“Not sure I follow, Deadman.”

“Put that sign together, don't have to be out there til you actually do Mania. But set it up ahead of time.” Taker grabbed a notepad off Hunter’s desk. “And here’s what you’re gonna tell em…..”

Hunter called some of the crew in the building to see how quickly they could assemble it, then sent out a mass text to any wrestler who could attend or listen in as Taker started writing a speech. 

Within an hour, Hunter had a camera, all the performers standing close by, most of the logo assembled and a microphone in his hand.

“I’m sure you all know that Wrestlemania hasn’t been cancelled but rearranged a little bit so that we can give our fans something for their loyalty and appreciation for all that we do. This is a tradition that can’t, and won’t be broken. 

“Now then, while we continue to get information about the further precautions regarding this virus, we still want to continue to create memories for the fans, for the performers, and for the future of the company. In a way, that starts with you. Because it’s still Wrestlemania to us, as it should be.

“I know it’s been a bit of a running gag that we have to do that DRAMATIC POINT TO THE WRESTLEMANIA SIGN. It’s turned into a bit of a tradition. Fans do it during Mania season at the arena shows, they take pictures of themselves doing it, they stand up from their seats at random and do it. They won’t be able to do that this year, but I don’t want Wrestlemania to be out of anyone’s reach.”

Hunter gestured to the enormous pirate flag logo for Wrestlemania. “This is going to be set up backstage, where you can see it for yourselves until the day we perform the Show of Shows. This year, Wrestlemania is still in reach for us, and how we will have to reach out to our fans. 

“No more pointing this time around,” he concluded. “Wrestlemania is still in reach. For All of us.”

He then ceremoniously put his hand on the giant sign, his eyes flickering a neon green to those who could See it. “Even if this is the first Wrestlemania you’ve ever performed at, remember what Wrestlemania is and what it means to ALL wrestling.” He continued to make a show of it by closing his eyes and lowering his head, his hand glowing a bit as he pushed what thrall he had into the symbol for this year’s Showcase of the Immortals.

“I want everyone to do that, at least once, up til the day of the show. Oh, and wash your hands afterward.”

Amid the laughter and smatterings of applause, he saw the acknowledgement of Hunter’s words. Everyone, from AJ to the Undertaker himself understood what Wrestlemania meant. And those whose Eyes were Opened saw what Hunter meant. With a nod to them all, Triple H gave the sign a final pat before letting each performer take their turn, gazing up at the sign and almost reflexively putting their hand to it. Thrall or no thrall, it would be a reminder to everyone why they’re here. 

Because Wrestlemania. 


End file.
